Still No Sign Of Inmate Firefighter Who Escaped During OC Blaze

ORANGE (CBSLA) – The search continued Tuesday for a prisoner suspected of walking away from an inmate firefighting crew helping to battle the Canyon Fire 2 near Peters Canyon Regional Park in Orange.

Armando Castillo, 31, was last seen at 4:45 p.m. Sunday before the group of inmates to which he was assigned returned to Prado Conservation Camp in San Bernardino County, according to Krissi Khokhobashvili of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Castillo was serving a five-year sentence in a Yucaipa conservation camp for possession of a firearm and evading police while driving recklessly. Castillo, who was convicted in Los Angeles County and was sent to prison on Aug. 23 of last year, was due to be released and placed on probation next May, according to Khokhobashvili.

Inmates like Castillo earn $1 an hour for fighting fires and get two days' credit for time served for each day they battle a blaze.

Castillo is 5-foot-11 and weighs about 190 pounds. He has brown eyes and black hair.

Anyone who sees Castillo should dial 911, or call authorities at 209-984-5291 or 909-797-0196 to provide information on his whereabouts.

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